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Fair winds and calm seas in
Southern Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan advisor's inclusion in the forest party's invitation to visit Sri lanka for the much-awaited England tour having been approved by Oberon,it's the green light for everyone to proceed with their respective duties.

Bottom is in his element.After some of his usual quizzing and cavelling about some of the arrangements, he has now settled down and is all agog about going to the island of which he has already had a taste of.

Starveling is on his toes with some of our little tailors who will be helping him to make our clothes for the tour.

Puck is in something of a dither because he isn't quite sure what to wear as Sri Lanka experiences climatic changes at this time of year He loves the skins and furs he wears at home in England, but is gradually becoming used to the idea of changes what with the invitations we have been getting to visit Sri Lanka on some occasions in the past few months.

Pyramus and Thisbe are also quite excited-they are usually depressed and have a feeling of being put down,by God knows whom. They dress quite 'quietly', i.e. not to impress anyone, and in fact we have told them to spruce up because the forest being the forest, you never know what can happen at any given time.

Snout will, of course, be helping Starveling, while the Little Blithe Spirits of the Night who will also be going on the tour, much to their delight, will also have to change their gauze wings and usual clothes-if they can be called clothes t all because they are so light and can hardlybe seen-and adapt to a radical change in climate in Sri Lanka.

But someone has told them (it can only be Puck), that at this pleasant time of year, the weather in the tropical island can change and get cooler because the island is in the Northern hemisphere, although only seven and something degrees.

Quince of course, is in overall charge of arrangements as media advisor to us and is constantly in touch with Sri Lanka media on the visit.

The Little Blithe Spirits of the Night were at first not happy about the Sri Lanka tour because they thought they would have to be left behind in the cold bleak winter. But when we comforted them by the assurance that they would not be left all alone in the forest at this time of year, they managed to regain their little spirits and be happy, which made us very happy to note.

Just then Bottom and Starveling came on the scene. They obviously had a problem;at least Starveling had.

'Your majesty...we were wondering about the Sri Lankan advisor's... he trailed off. 'The Sri Lankan advisor's what?' we asked.

After some clearing of throats, prompted by Bottom who is a master of the art of clearing his throat at tricky moments, Starveling popped the question:'What about the Sri Lankan advisor's clothes for the tour, your majesty?'

As our advisor lives in Sherwood, which will be the only part of the forest that will be inhabited during the Sri Lanka tour by the royal party, Starveling would have to be instructed as how to get about finding out what the advisor's wardrobe should be.

NB:Robin O'the Hood and his Merry Men have not accepted the invitation to visit Sri Lanka for the England tour as they are concerned about forest security and know that only they can provide that. Besides, it has never been known whether Robin plays cricket or whether he is a cricket buff at all, although we are close to Trent Bridge.

Time was galloping and we had to have our travel arrangements in place soon, so Quince got on the job and beeped Sherwood on the Sri Lankan advisor's clothes for the tour. as it is, he had got used to the traditional Lincoln Green worn by Robin O'the Hood's men, as will be related for centuries to come. On Sri Lanka's royal rock, of course, he-the advisor-was garbed in the traditional royal robes of his ancestor, who they say was the first inhabitant of the rock, but did occasionally change into more comfortable gear such as T shirt and shorts.

A message came in from Sherwood: Sri Lankan advisor to wear Sri Lankans wear at cricket matches in that country, that is, smart/casual which is normally the dress code for some cocktail parties in that country, but which the Advisor will adopt because he likes to look good. That left Starveling in something of a crisis.'Your majesty, smart and casual is often not cotton, but comes in silks and other rich fabrics as well, but are tailored to look casual. What shall we do?'

Who was to advise the Advisor about his clothes for the tour? Well, we think that being a Sri Lankan, he did not need any advice about what he should wear.It would be denims, cottons and T shirts, came an e-mail from Sherwood. With that settled, travel plans had now to be finalised.

We had to be in Sri Lanka, in a city called Galle in the South-nothing to do with Julius Caesar's Gaul which will one day be called France-which will one day in the centuries later come to be conquered and occupied by the Dutch forces of the Royal House of Orange-and become a major tourist destination about six centuries after that.

We are to be accommodated, in fact, on what was once a Dutch fortress, by name Closenburg, overlooking the sapphire sea, on which we Brits, once we have ousted the Dutch, will build a stately mansion for the captain of our P7O shipping lines, which is now a famous tourist resort hotel in the island.

Quincce was on line:Departure from the forest brought forward-Sri Lankan advisor's advice. By next Sunday we will find ourselves in Sri Lanka,accommodated right royally in the Closenburg fortress in the South.Everything has been sorted out, details such as who occupies which rooms,transport to the venue where the first match between England and Sri Lanka will be played and so on.

Meanwhile, we arrived on the island on the 12th, the day before the arrival of the England team. We did not float there on out own steam as we usually do, but were flown there by SriLankan Airlines.

The service was perfect, the food divine, and we all enjoyed the sparkling wine which was served to us in crystal glasses, with oysters to compliment the 'sparklers.'

Tit

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Call all Sri Lanka

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